Dilemma
by DianeB
Summary: Robbins/Torres. Two women, two dilemmas, two points of view, two chapters. Reference S5 episodes, "Beat Your Heart Out" and "An Honest Mistake." Oh my goodness, could it get any worse? Har!
1. The Ped's Predicament

Title: Dilemma, Chapter 1: The Ped's Predicament  
Author: DianeB  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Robbins/Torres

Summary: After her little smooch in the ladies room, Doctor Robbins finds herself in a bit of a bind.

Author's Notes: I am (and always will be) the biggest Hahn/Torres fan in the universe. However, I'm seeing in Arizona Robbins an out lesbian who will put _Calliope _Torres soundly in her place. There'll be none of that "whole forest" crap with Arizona.

This is set after the Robbins/Torres bar scene in the Season 5 episode, "Beat Your Heart Out," but takes into account a few things we learned about Arizona in "An Honest Mistake" and vaguely "I Will Follow You Into The Dark."

Thanks to my Mighty Editor Goddess Brenda S., and to Jules 68 for her enthusiastic support of my fanfic attempts. Written in early March, 2009. This is my _fourteenth_ _Grey's Anatomy_ story. Dedicated to all those dykes out there who gamely try to resist (_try_ being the operative word).

Disclaimer: This is femslash (lite), and there are some curse words. Don't read it if you're not into that sort of thing. I own nothing of _Grey's Anatomy_. I'm only having fun with the characters, and I promise to put them back when I'm done. Written with the knowledge that new episodes aired after AHM could spoil this scenario.

* * *

Doctor Arizona Robbins didn't have to listen very hard to hear things. She hadn't _Heely-ed_ down three feet of shiny tile corridor on her first day at Seattle Grace before she'd heard a group of nurses whispering about a cardio attending named Hahn who'd vanished as if beamed from the planet.

She'd also heard their speculation as to why, and _that _was the part which had intrigued her. But her new post as replacement for Doctor Jordan Kenley had to take priority, so she couldn't spare the time for deeper research. She did, however, tuck the information away for the future.

After all, Arizona Robbins had been a lover of women since the womb, and it wasn't like _Calliope_ Torres was hard to look at.

**oOo oOo oOo**

When time finally permitted, Arizona reflected on what little she'd garnered so far. Lord knew she'd been through the kind of heartache Callie was currently experiencing. In fact, she didn't know of anyone in her particular circle of friends who _hadn't_. Of course, Callie's story contained some interesting twists that were absent from her totally lesbian versions, but heartache was heartache no matter what scorecard you were using.

If she were to be completely honest, however, it was Callie's latest anguish that Arizona could most identify with, so once she and Miranda Bailey had gotten on firmer professional ground, Arizona turned her full attention to that part of the gossip.

It wasn't difficult to learn that Callie Torres was an orthopedic resident with skill that set her apart from all others. Nor was it hard to learn that Callie and _Erica_ Hahn, had had a whirlwind, first-time affair capped by a hospital scandal that, given the amount of personal information people were otherwise willing to share, had been kept surprisingly hush-hush. Since hospital scandals were a dime a dozen, Arizona stopped wasting time on it.

When two days passed without her learning anything much more than what she already knew, Arizona figured she had enough information to approach Callie. All she needed now was the opportunity to do so without scaring the woman to death.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Sitting at the bar in Joe's, Arizona observed the activity around her, marveling at the amount of alcohol these people could consume and still remain coherent. She cast a sideways glance at Callie, who was sitting at the bar a few stools away, downing shots like water and talking to a young woman Arizona had seen around but hadn't yet been introduced to. It was clear Callie was profoundly upset and was using the liquor to keep her demons at bay.

When Callie abruptly left the young woman and headed for the ladies room, Arizona decided her opportunity had arrived. Waiting ten beats, she smiled at Joe, then followed Callie into the bathroom.

**oOo oOo oOo**

It was hard for Arizona to return to the barstool. Or at least it was hard for her to return to the stool _acting as if she had not just rocked her own world_. It was not necessarily out of character for her to be so butch, but Callie's full lips had been nothing short of delectable. She had not planned to employ the "kiss and leave" tactic; she had intended only to let Callie know there were more "fish in the sea," so to speak. But, Lord, when the time came, she just could _not_ resist planting one on those plump, kissable lips. In fact, she would have been perfectly content to linger against those lips till the damned cows came home, and that was _definitely_ out of character for her.

Lifting herself onto the stool, she ran her tongue surreptitiously over her lips, tasting cherry and deadly temptation. Suddenly warm, she picked up a cardboard coaster to fan herself, thinking if this was what Callie had done to Erica Hahn, it was no wonder the woman had vanished. It was not outside the realm of possibility that Callie had just eaten her up! Certainly, after a mere peck, Arizona was ready to allow herself to be devoured…

The sound of Joe pouring pretzels into a basket at the far end of the bar brought Arizona abruptly back to herself. Backpedaling furiously to clear her mind of the startlingly erotic images it was gleefully conjuring up, she took a ragged breath and gave herself a stern internal talking-to.

If the gossip were even remotely true, Callie Torres was fruit of the forbidden tree, no matter how luscious her lips had been. The orthopedic surgeon was in the aftermath of a first-time lesbian love affair with another surgeon that had ended badly. It would be far too easy for Arizona to invite herself into Callie's personal space, offering a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear, knowing with little doubt she'd be readily accepted. But Arizona also knew that _babydykes_ (particularly the drop-dead gorgeous types like Calliope) tended to be needy and high-maintenance – with or without the tragic affair - and this was not something Arizona wanted in her life. She spent her days with infants; she didn't care to spend her nights with them as well. Still, she thought, continuing to wave the coaster in front of her face, she'd already kissed Calliope. What could it hurt to…

Joe arrived in her field of vision at that moment, thank God, wiping the bar with a cotton rag, or her musings would have skipped blithely to that erotic place she was trying to avoid. "Hey, Doctor Robbins." He cocked his head towards the ladies' room. "She all right in there?"

"Huh?" So much for the IQ, Arizona thought, wondering how long it would take before she got used to the way this sweet-faced bartender fretted over his hospital clientele. Gathering her wits, she tried answering him with some semblance of intelligence. "I'm sorry! I-I mean, yes, she's okay."

Nodding, he seemed satisfied to take her at her word, and Arizona began to get an inkling of what it was about Joe. "Can I get you anything?"

Though she didn't usually drink beer, a cold one sounded good right about now. "A draft would be great. Thanks." Before she could stop herself, her eyes went to the ladies room door.

Clearly Joe noticed. "Hey, doc," he said warmly, "maybe you should check on her, just to be sure, huh? I'll get your beer meanwhile."

"Um, yeah," Arizona agreed, not bothering to take her eyes from the bathroom door, "maybe I should." She slid off the stool, but before she could get two steps, Callie emerged and began to make her way towards the exit, pointedly not looking in Arizona's direction. In the dim light of the bar, Arizona couldn't see Callie's expression, but it was clear Callie wasn't sticking around. Fighting an urge to go after her, Arizona forced herself to remain where she was.

Watching the door close on Callie's backside, Arizona blew out an uneven puff of air, torn between her relief that Callie was gone and her desire to go after her. Experience told her it was wiser to leave well enough alone. Sighing again, she turned to the bar in time to see Joe put her beer down on her coaster-fan. "Here ya go, doc."

"Thanks, Joe." Climbing onto the stool, she smiled, raised the heavy glass in mock toast and took a deep swallow, savoring the brew's bitter chill. Centering the glass back onto the coaster, she inhaled and took stock, exhaling a breath that fogged up the beer logo on the glass.

Calliope Torres was a lovely fantasy, but that's all she was. Yeah, okay, the kiss had been a mistake, but Arizona was sure the Goddess would forgive her once She got a good look at Callie. In any case, the first chance Arizona got, she would apologize to Callie for the kiss and explain to her that all she'd been trying to do was boost Callie's confidence, let her know she shouldn't feel as though her first love would be her _only _love. That there were lots more lesbians out there who'd be "lining up" for Callie in no time.

Not that she'd be one of 'em. As yummy as Callie was, Arizona Robbins told herself firmly that she would not be touching Calliope Torres again with a ten-foot pole. End of story.

Thinking she had given herself enough what for and certain she had convinced herself that Callie was to be avoided at all cost, she dared to run her tongue over her lips again, and that proved to be her undoing.

The cherry was gone, but, oh my, the temptation was not.

End Chapter 1

**oOo oOo oOo**

_Things forbidden have a secret charm._

-- Tacitus

_Temptation is an irresistible force at work on a moveable body._

-- H. L. Mencken


	2. The Ortho's Obstacle

Title: Dilemma, Chapter 2: The Ortho's Obstacle  
Author: DianeB  
Rating: PG  
Pairing: Robbins/Torres

Chapter 2 Summary: Doctor Torres goes in search of a giant, economy-sized box of Pampers ™. Set after the Season 5 episode, "An Honest Mistake."

See Chapter 1 for Author's Note and Disclaimer.

**

* * *

**

Callie cursed herself. Twice today she had managed to make a complete fool of herself in front of Arizona Robbins. _Twice_. Standing on the damp sidewalk outside Joe's bar, Callie checked her reflection in a nearby store window. No change there, she was still gorgeous. She began to recite the periodic table in her head, doing so with ease. Nope, no trouble with the gray matter. Why, then, was her face on fire, her stomach in knots, and her world heaved upside down? She needed to get a grip before she made it three for three.

**oOo oOo oOo**

After Mark failed miserably in checking out the new peds surgeon for her, Callie was left to her own devices, and decided to do the only thing she thought would work. That is, summon the nerve to approach Arizona Robbins and ask her out.

It never once occurred to Callie that she would be turned down. No one had _ever_ turned her down before. Not only that, but Arizona called her a "newborn" simply because she had no experience with women. The fact that Arizona had claimed to be _super_ flattered by the invitation held no truck with Callie. She kept coming back to the "newborn" thing, becoming irritated all over again every time she remembered.

It was a hard pill to swallow for a number of reasons. One, it was clear Arizona was no novice with women. Two, it was untrue that Callie had no experience with women; she _did_ have experience. (Okay, well, she had experience with _one_ woman, a woman who was just as much a "newborn" as Callie herself, but that counted, didn't it?) Three, no matter number two, Arizona Robbins was painfully correct in her assessment of Callie's infant status, which was of course the whole reason why the pill was so hard to swallow in the first place.

Stubbornly refusing to let go of the "newborn" thing, and blinded by her inability to take no for an answer, Callie saw no other recourse but to come up with ways in which she _was_ experienced that she could share with Arizona in an attempt to get the woman to go out with her. She worked all day on what she would say.

**oOo oOo oOo**

It had taken several stiff drinks for Callie to find the courage to approach Arizona in the bar that evening. Callie was so focused on what she was going to say that she didn't notice the peds surgeon was surrounded by a group of women and that she was giving one woman in particular more attention than the others.

As if it were possible, this encounter was even worse. Arizona, drink in hand, listened politely as Callie delivered her well-rehearsed little speech. Then she turned to the woman next to her and introduced her to Callie as Julie.

Her _date_.

Callie, silently thanking her Mexican genes that kept her face from showing scarlet (and also thanking her bladder for keeping its contents in check), pivoted away, took a final belt of her drink, set the glass on the bar, and took off.

**oOo oOo oOo**

Now here she was, on the wet pavement at midnight, thankful the day was finally over and the precipitation was cooling her fevered brow. Across the quiet street, Callie saw a storefront for the local GLBT Community Center. And the lights were on.

Callie crossed to the door, flung it open, and simply announced to the room at large, "I'm exploring my sexuality and screwing up every step of the way. Anybody got any advice?"

Two young men holding hands on a couch at the far side of the room looked up when the door opened but didn't otherwise respond. The only other person in sight was a tall, well-dressed woman standing behind a cash register in what was clearly a tiny retail area. Smiling, she came sashaying out from behind the register, held out her perfectly-manicured hands to Callie and said, "Honey, welcome to the club. What can we do to help?"

End.

**oOo oOo oOo**

_How would it be if everything that you thought you knew  
__Was turned upside down opposite your point of view?  
__How would you feel if the ground was really the sky,  
__And all of this time you've been walking  
__When you could have been flying?_

_Everything that you do matters in the end.  
__What if all of our mistakes are forgiven?_

-- Ellis, from her song, "How Would It Be"


End file.
